Chord and note assist assembly

ABSTRACT

A chord and/or note assist assembly includes a chord and/or note forming aid having a plurality of multi-position string engaging assemblies that engage strings of a guitar in a controlled manner so as to define chords associated with playing a guitar and an extension device having a plurality of multi-position string engaging assemblies that engage strings of a guitar in a controlled manner so as to define chords associated with playing a guitar. An electronic microprocessor circuit board is electrically linked to a solid-state memory to control the plurality of multi-position string engaging assemblies of both the chord and/or note forming aid and the extension device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 63/064,654, entitled “CHORD AND NOTE ASSISTASSEMBLY,” filed Aug. 12, 2020, which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a chord assist assembly for playingfretted string instruments, especially fitted to an electric or acousticguitar, that provides the ability to play an instrument with little, orno, ability or proficiency.

2. Description of the Related Art

Playing good music with a string of musical instruments is a longing formost youngsters or persons within inability to command an instrument.The guitar is an easily accessible musical instrument for youngstersbecause of its affordable price. However, learning and understandingmechanics necessary to produce chords and notes on the guitar is noteasy, although it is essential for the players to be successful.Mastering the many types of fingerings or producing chords and theirrelation to one another is essential and requires mastery in order toinspire creativity. Any musical theory books demonstrate and refer to avast array of chords. However, producing these chords in order to hearthem in relation to each other is essential for musical development.Some devices for easily playing chords on the guitar are available. Yet,they are cumbersome, complex, very limited in their abilities, andunclear. The prior art has shown that there is no device that is simpleand small, easy to use and compact, with the capability to construct anyform or type of note or chord in music.

Needed, is a better method that makes a stronger impact on the mind ofthe beginning player in which learning is quicker and enjoyable.Notations must be looked into again and again to absorb everythingcontained within the black and white pages. It is the purpose of thecurrent application to provide a device for note or chord generation,which has and ability to make a stronger impression if done in a clearsimple manner. It is another purpose of the current application toprovide an aiding instrument for a guitar player, who accidentally losessome of his or her fingers or is unable to command a fretted stringedinstrument.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect a chord and/or note assist assembly includes a chordand/or note forming aid having a plurality of multi-position stringengaging assemblies that engage strings of a guitar in a controlledmanner so as to define chords associated with playing a guitar and anextension device having a plurality of multi-position string engagingassemblies that engage strings of a guitar in a controlled manner so asto define chords associated with playing a guitar. An electronicmicroprocessor circuit board is electrically linked to a solid-statememory to control the plurality of multi-position string engagingassemblies of both the chord and/or note forming aid and the extensiondevice.

In some embodiments, the chord and/or note forming aid includes keypadbox housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall extendingbetween the top wall and the bottom wall, a rear wall extending betweenthe top wall and the bottom wall, and lateral side walls extendingbetween the top wall and the bottom wall.

In some embodiments, the bottom wall of chord and/or note forming aidincludes a recessed section shaped and dimensioned in such a way thatthe neck of the guitar may be positioned therein.

In some embodiments, the bottom wall includes first and second bottomwall segments that connect directly to the respective lateral walls andlie in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the respective lateralwall and the recessed section is positioned between the first and secondbottom wall segments.

In some embodiments, the recessed section of chord and/or note formingaid is defined by first and second recess side wall segments and arecess base segment.

In some embodiments, a strap harness of chord and/or note forming aidselectively extends across the recessed section in a manner frictionallyholding a neck of a guitar within the recessed section.

In some embodiments, the strap harness is wide Velcro strap.

In some embodiments, each of the multi-position string engagingassemblies includes a solenoid extending from an aperture formed in thebottom wall.

In some embodiments, each of the solenoids includes a first end and asecond end, the first end includes a coil in which an armature ispositioned and the second end includes an extended portion of thearmature.

In some embodiments, a string capture cap is secured to the free end ofthe extended portion of the armature, and the string capture cap isshaped and dimensioned to engage the strings of a guitar when thesolenoid is actuated.

In some embodiments, a wireless transceiver is integrated with, orelectrically coupled to the electronic microprocessor circuit board.

In some embodiments, the chord and/or note forming aid includes an LEDreadout.

In some embodiments, the extension device includes an extension devicehousing shaped and dimensioned for positioning over the frets of aguitar in a manner allowing a user to generate chords with only onefinger of a person playing the guitar.

In some embodiments, the extension device housing includes a top wall, abottom wall, a front wall extending between the top wall and the bottomwall, a rear wall extending between the top wall and the bottom wall,and lateral side walls extending between the top wall and the bottomwall.

In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the extension device includes arecessed section shaped and dimensioned in such a way that the neck ofthe guitar may be positioned therein.

In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the extension device includesfirst and second bottom wall segments that connect directly to therespective lateral walls and lie in a plane that is generallyperpendicular to the respective lateral wall and the recessed section ispositioned between the first and second bottom wall segments.

In some embodiments, the recessed section of the extension device isdefined by first and second recess side wall segments and a recess basesegment.

In some embodiments, the extension device includes a strap harnessselectively extending across the recessed section in a mannerfrictionally holding a neck of a guitar within the recessed section.

Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description when viewed in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the chord and/or assist assembly.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing the chord and/or note formingaid above the first four frets of a guitar. As will be explained belowin greater detail, on the unseen lateral wall is an LED readout for theplayer to see which groups and specific chords and/or notes and/or capohave been selected. Also, on top is a row of six bidirectional keys.Each key may be switched in either direction offering twelve selections.On the front is a door to access and replace the rechargeable batteryand to access the computer controls. There is also a row of fourbidirectional switches to select from the various groups of storedsongs, chords, notes and capos.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the chord and/or note forming aid showninverted relative to the view shown in FIG. 2 (and with the strapharness open) to expose the view of the multi-position string engagingassemblies. As will be explained below in greater detail, there are fourrows positioned to be just before the first four frets. Each row has sixsolenoids with each solenoid positioned to be over one of the sixstrings. Each solenoid has a ‘C’ shaped capture cap that helps capturethe string. This allows the chord and/or note forming aid to work withguitars that have a different distance between their strings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the chord and/or note forming aid shownfrom the opposite end of that shown in FIG. 3 (with the strap harnessnot shown).

FIG. 5 is a bottom elevation view of the chord and/or note forming aid(with the strap harness not shown).

FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view of a stabilizer pair devices foruse in conjunction with the chord and note forming aid.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a multi-position string engagingassembly.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the multi-position string engagingassembly.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 are a perspective view (with the strap harness shownopen), an opposite perspective view (with the strap harness not shown),and a bottom elevation view (with the strap harness not shown) of analternate stabilizer embodiment for use in conjunction with the chordand/or note forming aid.

FIG. 12 is a detailed perspective view of the embodiment of a stabilizeras shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 .

FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are respectively a top perspective view, abottom perspective view, and an exploded view showing use of solenoidsix packs in accordance with the chord and note forming aid (although itis appreciated the solenoid six packs would similarly be used with theextension device).

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an extension device that may be pluggedinto the back of the chord and/or note forming aid to extend itsabilities over the next eight frets for a total of twelve frets.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the extension device shown inverted(with the strap harness shown open) relative to the view shown in FIG.13 to expose the view of the forty-eight multi-position string engagingassemblies. There are eight rows just before the fifth through thetwelfth frets. Each row has six solenoids with each solenoid over one ofthe six strings.

FIG. 16 is a bottom elevation view of the extension device (with thestrap harness not shown).

FIG. 17 shows exemplary displays in accordance with use of the presentchord and/or assist assembly.

FIG. 18 is a schematic showing operational electronics of the presentchord and/or assist assembly.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are respectively a front perspective of a chord and/ornote forming aid and an extension device in accordance with an alternateembodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The detailed embodiments are disclosed herein. It should be understood,however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of theinvention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, thedetails disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, butmerely as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to make and/oruse the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 18 , a chord and/or note assist assembly 10 isdisclosed. The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 includes a chordand/or note forming aid 100 and an extension device 200 for playingfretted instruments. While the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 isdisclosed herein below for use in conjunction with an electronic guitar,the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 may be used with a wide varietyof electronic or acoustic fretted string instruments. The chord and/ornote assist assembly 10 provides beginners, elderly persons, andhandicapped persons with the ability to play guitar in a pleasant andconvenient manner. The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 may also beused by experienced guitar players who develop new and unusual chords,as well as chords that are not physically possible to be played by theplayers fingers alone.

As will be appreciated based upon the following disclosure, the chordand/or note assist assembly 10 is computer based, programmable and canbe controlled by a smartphone (either iPhone or Android). Similar to apersonal computer, and as is described below in more detail, the chordand/or note assist assembly 10 has computer chips for both operationalcontrol and for memory management. The operational chip will control allthe various hardware functions. Generally, chords and/or notes of a songare preprogrammed into the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 so thatall that is required for the player is to press an actuation interfacemechanism in the form of bidirectional keypad(s) 152 a-f in a specificorder while strumming to actuate chords/notes and to play a song. Inaccordance with other implementations, chords and/or notes of a song arepreprogrammed into the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 so that allthat is required for the player do is strum and the next chord/note isautomatically in place for the next strum. Additionally, chord and/ornote assist assembly 10 users will have use of a website that will beavailable for both uploading and downloading chords, notes, capos and/orfull songs.

As discussed below, the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 is providedwith a Bluetooth wireless transceiver 144 allowing for pairing of thechord and/or note assist assembly 10 with a smartphone (or otherportable electronic device). With this in mind, the smartphone, whichalso includes a Bluetooth wireless transceiver, has a dedicated appinstalled thereon. The dedicated app includes mechanisms for use withthe chord and/or note assist assembly 10. By holding a button, the chordand/or note assist assembly 10 enters a pairing mode and the app runningon the smartphone will detect and pair with the chord and/or note assistassembly 10. Once paired, the app on the smartphone allows the user tocreate instructions/actions to be run on the chord and/or note assistassembly 10. The app sends these instructions over the Bluetoothconnection to the chord and/or note assist assembly 10. The chord and/ornote assist assembly 10 acts according to the received instructions. Thechord and/or note assist assembly 10 will periodically send informationabout itself to the app for details such as battery level and errors.

In accordance with the disclosed embodiment, the chord and/or noteforming aid 100 is shaped and dimensioned to cover from the nut acrossthe 1st fret through the 4th fret and the extension device 200 is shapedand dimensioned to cover from the 4^(th) fret across the 5th fretthrough the 12th fret. Thus, with the six strings and the twelve frets,72 multi-position string engaging assemblies 130, 230 provide for allstring engaging possibilities associated with the chord and/or noteforming aid 100 and extension device 200.

The chord and/or note forming aid 100 includes a keypad box housing 102shaped and dimensioned for positioning over the frets of a guitar in amanner allowing a user to generate chords with only one finger of aperson playing the guitar. The keypad box housing 102 includes a topwall 104, a bottom wall 106, a front wall 110 extending between the topwall 104 and the bottom wall 106, a rear wall 108 extending between thetop wall 104 and the bottom wall 106, and lateral side walls 112, 114extending between the top wall 104 and the bottom wall 106. The top wall104, front wall 110, rear wall 108, and lateral side walls 112, 114 aregenerally flat. The bottom wall 106 is shaped to fit above the neck ofthe guitar in the area of the frets and includes a longitudinallyextending, recessed section 116 that extends from the front wall 110 tothe rear wall 108 and wraps about the neck of the guitar.

With this in mind, the bottom wall 106 is considered to cover the entireextent of the surface opposite the top 104. The bottom wall 106 isstructured so as to include the recessed section 116. With this in mind,the bottom wall 106 includes various segments that interconnect to forthe recessed section 116 in such a way that the neck of the guitar maybe positioned therein for use in accordance with the present invention.

The bottom wall therefore includes first and second bottom wall segments118, 120 that connect directly to the respective lateral walls 112, 114and lie in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the respectivelateral wall 112, 114. The longitudinally extending, recessed section116 is positioned between the first and second bottom wall segments 118,120. The longitudinally extending, recessed section 116 is defined byfirst and second recess side wall segments 122, 124 and a recess basesegment 126. The first and second recess side wall segments 122, 124respectively extend from the first and second bottom wall segments 118,120, and lie in a plane that is generally parallel to the respectivelateral wall 112, 114. The recess base segment 126 extends between thefirst and second bottom wall segments 118, 120, and lies in plane thatis perpendicular to the respective lateral wall 112, 114. As such thebottom wall 106 defines a generally U-shape when viewed along a crosssection transverse to the longitudinal axis of the keypad box housing102.

The keypad box housing 102 is held in position relative to the neck ofthe guitar through the provision of a strap harness 128 selectivelyextending across the longitudinally extending, recessed section 116 in amanner frictionally holding the neck of the guitar within thelongitudinally extending, recessed section 116. In accordance with adisclosed embodiment, the strap harness 128 is wide Velcro strap willsecure the chord and/or note forming aid 100 around the neck of theguitar between the nut and the fourth fret. While straps are provided inaccordance with a disclosed embodiment, it is appreciated a variety ofretaining mechanisms could be employed without departing form the spiritof the present invention.

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, the chord and/or note formingaid 100 is about 5¼ inches long and slightly wider than the guitar neck(for example, approximately 3¼ inches wide). It is placed on the end ofthe neck of a guitar, between the nut and the fourth fret. As explainedbelow in greater detail, the top wall 104 of the chord and/or noteforming aid 100 has bidirectional keypads 152 a-f and the top wall 104is slightly sloped for both easy vision and access by the user.

The working components of the present chord and/or note forming aid 100are housed within the keypad box housing 102 for operation in the mannerdescribed below. Actuation of the guitar strings is achieved by theprovision of a plurality of multi-position string engaging assemblies130 that engage strings of the guitar in a controlled manner so as todefine chords associated with playing the guitar. Each of themulti-position string engaging assemblies 130 includes a solenoid 132extending from an aperture 134 formed in the recess base segment 126 ofthe bottom wall 106. Each of the solenoids 132 includes a first end 132a and a second end 132 b. The first end 132 a includes the coil 135 inwhich the armature 136 is positioned and the second end 132 b includesthe extended portion 136 e of the armature 136. A string capture cap 138is secured to the free end of the extended portion 136 e of the armature136. The string capture cap 138 is shaped and dimensioned to engage thestrings of the guitar when the solenoid 132 is actuated.

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, 12 multi-position stringengaging assemblies 130 are provided. The multi-position string engagingassemblies 130 are positioned for engagement with each of the 6 stringsof the guitar at four different fret locations. As such, themulti-position string engaging assemblies 130 are arranged in the fourrows of six multi-position string engaging assemblies 130 extendinglateral across the bottom wall 106, in particular, the recess basesegment 126.

It is preferred that only the six multi-position string engagingassemblies 130, in particular, the string capture cap 138, engage theguitar strings and that the remaining the structure of the chord and/ornote assist assembly 10 is prevented from actually resting on ortouching the guitar strings. As such, and in accordance with a disclosedembodiment, the chord and/or assist assembly 10 is prevented fromresting upon the strings by the provision of stabilizer pair devices127. Each of the stabilizer pair devices 127 is in the form of aninverted U-shape with a thin and elongated base member 127 a anddownwardly extending leg members 127 b at the respective first andsecond ends of the base member 127 a. The base member 127 a is shapedand dimensioned to fit between rows of the six multi-position stringengaging assemblies 130, that is, solenoid six packs 300 a, 300 b asdiscussed below, along the body of the bottom wall 106. Each of thedownwardly extending leg members 127 b includes a first end 129 asecured to the base member 127 a and free second end 129 b shaped anddimensioned to fit on a fret.

The free second ends 129 b of the respective the downwardly extendingleg members 127 b are crescent shaped. Considering the shape of the freesecond ends 129 b, its bottom surface 180 includes a concave centralsection 182 at points 182 a, 182 b at opposite ends of the concavecentral section 182. The points 182 a, 182 b are aligned to point atopen spaces on opposite sides of a fret.

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, the stabilizer pair devices127 are respectively positioned behind the first solenoid six pack 300 aso as to rest on the first fret and the behind the third solenoid sixpack 300 b so as to rest on the third fret. The downwardly extending legmembers 127 b are oriented to be placed above and rest on the first andthird frets between strings 2 and 3 on one side and between strings 4and 5 on the other side.

In accordance with another embodiment, and with reference to FIGS. 9,10, 11, and 12 , thin longitudinal rails in the form of four stabilizers127′ protrude from the recess base segment 126 and are positioned torest between the two middle guitar strings (for example, strings 3 and4). The stabilizers 127′ are elongated members with a first end 129 a′secured to the recess base segment 126 and a free second end 129 b′extending away from the recess base segment for engagement with the neckof the guitar. The stabilizers 127′ each include a longitudinal axisthat is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chord and/or noteforming aid 100. In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, fourstabilizers 127′ from the chord and/or assist assembly 10 keep it fromresting on the strings. The four stabilizers 127′ extend from the chordand/or assist assembly 10 to the area of the guitar neck between thesecond and third strings and between the fourth and fifth stringsbetween the nut and the first fret and between the third fret and thefourth fret. Considering this embodiment, it is appreciated thestabilizer should be made of a non-scratching material so as to protectthe surface of the neck of the guitar. Another contemplated alternativewould include a pair of longitudinal rails extending downwardly from therecess base segment such that they rest between adjacent guitar strings;for example, one would rest between strings 2 and 3 and the other wouldrest between strings 4 and 5. This alternative provides more balancepreventing tilting to either side. In either solution the rails wouldrest on the frets and not touch nor harm the neck.

Control of the solenoids 132 of the multi-position string engagingassemblies 130 is achieved through the provision of an electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 140 electrically linked to a solid-statememory 142 (that may be integrated with the circuit board orelectrically linked thereto). The electronic microprocessor circuitboard 140 is electrically linked to the solenoids 132 to controlextension and retraction of the armatures 136 in a predefined manner. Asa result, the computer chips of the electronic microprocessor circuitboard 140 provide for operational control and the computer chips of thesolid-state memory provide for memory management.

The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 also includes a softwaremanagement operating system for controlling its operation. The softwaremanagement operating system manages all operations and storagerequirements. Periodic upgrades will be downloadable from a website tousers as needed. Operating software is provided (preferably, wirelesslyvia Bluetooth) for both an iPhone (app store), an Android phone (GooglePlays App), and for Windows PCs for the control of the softwaremanagement operating system of the chord and/or note assist assembly 10and its content.

The software management operating system allows for the following:

-   -   Users can set up the storage for the various notes and chords        used by different songs.    -   Users may either enter all the individual notes and chords for a        song by themselves or download available complete songs with all        of their notes and chords if available on a website or other        websites.    -   Programming each of the control keys to show on the LED (see the        embodiment disclosed herein with reference to FIG. 3 ) the        chosen song title and what note or chord each of the Finger Keys        will play for each requested song.    -   Setting up the Finger Keys with requested notes or chords or        both so that the player may play the guitar without a        pre-programmed song. This is like playing a guitar but without        having to know which strings to press at which frets.    -   Users may play a complete song of notes and/or chords by only        strumming the strings and not need to press any of the finger        keys. The software Management will ‘feed’ the needed notes and        chords in the correct order at the right time after each strum        of the guitar strings.

Actuation of the solenoids is achieved using known actuation circuitryand may be varied as desired. For example, the bidirectional keypads 152a-f on the top wall 102 are pressed to send signals to the electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 140 identifying chords and/or notes of asong and the electronic microprocessor circuit board 140 thereafterinstructs the required solenoids 132 to extend and engage desiredstrings of the guitar. In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, thebidirectional keypads allow for actuation in by pressing either thefirst end thereof or the second end thereof to send first and seconddistinct signals. Although bidirectional keypads of a specific size areshown in accordance with the disclosed embodiment, the size of thebidirectional keypads may be varied as needed, for example, thebidirectional keypads may be of a size similar to the keys disclosedwith reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 . As mentioned above, and inaccordance with other implementations, chords and/or notes of a song arepreprogrammed into the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 so that allthat is required for the player do is press a sequence of keypads 152a-f to start a song and, thereafter, the user need only strum and thenext chord/not is automatically in place for the next strum.Additionally, chord and/or note assist assembly 10 users will have useof a website that will be available for both uploading and downloadingchords, notes, capos and/or full songs.

The chord and/or note forming aid 100 is further provided with awireless transceiver 144 (for example, Bluetooth) integrated with, orelectrically coupled to the electronic microprocessor circuit board 140and a battery 146 (which may be replaceable and/or rechargeable).

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment the electronic microprocessorcircuit board 140, the solid-state memory 142, and Bluetooth wirelesstransceiver 144 are positioned inside of the keypad box housing 102 justbelow the bidirectional keypads 152 a-f positioned in the top wall 104of the keypad box housing 102, wherein the solid-state memory 142 isinstalled inside the keypad box housing 102 just above the electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 140. The keypad box housing 102 is furtherprovided with an access door 153 to allow for access to both the controlelements discussed above and the battery(ies).

The chord and/or note forming aid 100 control configuration will consistof a two 8-bit shift registers (and possibly an EEPROM depending if themicrocontroller that is used changes). In accordance with a disclosedembodiment, a Raspberry Pi 3, or other similar or acceptable, is used asthe controller with Raspbian being our Linux-OS. The storage capacity ofthe Raspberry Pi is sufficient for the functionals of the chord and/ornote assist assembly 10 and the code can be stored directly on theRaspberry Pi's memory and simply pass the necessary information to theshift registers when needed. Each chord will be stored as a chord nameattribute with a corresponding tabular notation of the chord itself.

With this method chord progression are converted to binary information.For user created chords the program simply receives an input tabularnotation from the user and applies the same process as it would for themanufacturers chord data to convert it to binary. The shift register isthen be configured by the microcontroller to output a 9-bit binaryrepresentation of each chord that is selected by the user. The output ofthe shift register will be the input logic of the AND gates of theactuators.

The first six least significant bits (LSB) will represent the strings ofthe guitar, the following bits will represent the fret number inchronological manner such that the 7th bit would represent the firstfret. With this configuration additional modules (for example, theextension device 200 disclosed herein) may be implemented to cover thehigher fret numbers with ease (considering the 1st fret to be the verytop fret on the guitar neck after the nut followed by the 2nd fret.) Oneneed only add 1-bit position to the most significant bit for every newfret that is covered by additional modules.

In particular, and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 , the present chordand/or note forming aid 100 is positioned over the first four frets ofthe guitar. The lateral wall 114 of the chord and/or note forming aid100 includes an LED readout 150 for the player to see which groups andspecific chords, notes, and/or capo have been selected. The wall issloped for easy access and visibility by the user. It will have an LEDread out screen facing the player so that the player can see what chordsand notes are now available to play. Also, six bidirectional keypads 152a-f are positioned on the top wall 104 of the keypad box housing 102 ofthe chord and/or note forming aid 100. Each of the bidirectional keypads152 a-f allows for switching in either direction and thereby ultimatelyoffer 12 selections regarding the chords or notes within a specific songthat a user desires to play. When one of the bidirectional keypads 152a-f on the chord and/or note forming aid 100 is selected for a specificchord or note and pressed, it causes separate devices (solenoids 132) topress down on the correct strings in the correct fret position for theguitar to play the selected chord or note. When the key is released thechord and/or note forming aid 100 will release the selected strings andthe guitar will return to its original position.

The front wall 110 of the keypad box housing 102 is provided with thedoor 153 allowing access to the internal structure of the keypad boxhousing 102 for replacement of the rechargeable battery 146 and accessto the control elements. The top wall 104 of the keypad box housing 102also include four bidirectional keypads 154 a-d to select from thevarious groups of stock songs, chords, notes, and/or capos. This set ofbidirectional keypads 154 a-d are used to select groups of songs andindividual songs from within that group. As an alternative torechargeable batteries, a/c power could be provided from an electricguitar via a thin cable running from a power source of the electricguitar along the back of the guitar neck and to an input on the chordand/or note forming aid 100. In accordance with another embodiment, ana/c power chord may be run from a remote power source to a power inputof the chord and/or note forming aid.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 , the chord and/or note forming aid 100is shown inverted to expose the multi-position string engagingassemblies 130. There are four rows that are shaped and dimensioned justbefore the first four frets. Each row has six multi-position stringengaging assemblies 130 with each multi-position string engagingassemblies 130 positioned for engagement with one of the strings. Asdiscussed above, each multi-position string engaging assemblies 130 hasa C shaped capture cap 138 that helps capture the string. This allowsthe chord and/or note forming aid 100 to work with guitars that havedifferent distances between their strings. In particular, and inaccordance with a disclosed embodiment, the capture caps 138 are in theshape of a crescent moon. The capture caps 138 are attached to the endof the armatures 136 of the solenoids 132. Considering the shape of thecapture cap 138, its bottom surface 156 includes a concave centralsection 158 at points 158 a, 158 b at opposite ends of the concavecentral section 158. The points 158 a, 158 b of the capture cap 138 arealigned to point at open spaces on opposite sides of a string. Whenactivated, the concave central section 158 of crescent shaped capturecap 138 captures the guitar string, forces the string to the middle ofthe crescent shaped capture cap 138 then press the string down upon theguitar fret. This would allow for the player to make the desired chordor note to be played.

Further to the chord and/or note forming aid 100 discussed above, anextension device 200 is disclosed with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 . Theextension device 200 is designed for positioning above the fourththrough twelfth frets on the neck of the guitar and is electricallyconnected the primary chord and/or note forming aid 100 via mating ports160, 260 provided on adjacent ends of the chord and/or note forming aid100 and the extension device 200. The extension device 200 extends theabilities of the chord and/or note forming aid 100 from the fourth fretto the twelfth fret. This allows for chords and notes to be played inthree times the area of the original chord and/or note forming aid 100.It also allows for new chords that may extend up to twelve frets and sixstrings—chords that are impossible to be played without a chord and/ornote forming aid 100. New chords that will use the extension device 200will be available on a website for free downloading.

The extension device 200 is structured in a manner similar to the chordand/or note forming aid 100. As such, the extension device 200 includesan extension device housing 202 shaped and dimensioned for positioningover the frets of a guitar in a manner allowing a user to generatechords with only one finger of a person playing the guitar. Theextension device housing 202 includes a top wall 204, a bottom wall 206,a front wall 210 extending between the top wall 204 and the bottom wall206, a rear wall 208 extending between the top wall 204 and the bottomwall 206, and lateral side walls 212, 214 extending between the top wall204 and the bottom wall 206. The top wall 204, front wall 210, rear wall208, and lateral side walls 212, 214 are generally flat. The bottom wall206 is shaped to fit about the neck of the guitar in the area of thefrets and includes a longitudinally extending, recessed section 216 thatextends from the front wall 210 to the rear wall 208 and wraps about theneck of the guitar.

With this in mind, the bottom wall 206 includes first and second bottomwall segments 218, 220 that connect directly to the respective lateralwalls 212, 214 and lie in plane that is generally perpendicular to thelateral walls 212, 214. The longitudinally extending, recessed section216 is positioned between the first and second bottom wall segments 218,220. The longitudinally extending, recessed section 216 is defined byfirst and second recess side wall segments 222, 224 and a recess basesegment 226. The first and second recess side wall segments 222, 224respectively extend from the first and second bottom wall segments 218,220, and lie in plane that is generally parallel to the lateral walls212, 214. The recess base segment 226 extends between from the first andsecond lateral recess side wall segments 222, 224, and lies in planethat is generally perpendicular to the lateral walls 212, 214. As such,the bottom wall 206 defines a generally U-shape when viewed along across section transverse to the longitudinal axis of the extensiondevice housing 202.

The extension device housing 202 is held in position relative to theneck of the guitar through the provision of a strap harness 228selectively extending across the longitudinally extending, recessedsection 216 in a manner frictionally holding the neck of the guitarwithin the longitudinally extending, recessed section 216. In accordancewith a disclosed embodiment, the strap harness 228 is wide Velcro strapwill secure the extension device 200 around the neck of the guitar.While straps are provided in accordance with a disclosed embodiment, itis appreciated a variety of retaining mechanisms could be employedwithout departing form the spirit of the present invention.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the extension device 200 isabout 7% inches long and slightly wider than the guitar neck (forexample, approximately 3¼ inches wide). It plugs into the chord and/ornote forming aid 100 and covers the neck area from fret four to frettwelve.

The working components of the present extension device 200 are housedwithin the extension device housing 202 for operation in the mannerdescribed below. Actuation of the guitar strings is achieved by theprovision of a plurality of multi-position string engaging assemblies230 that engage strings of the guitar in a controlled manner so as todefine chords associated with playing the guitar. Each of themulti-position string engaging assemblies 230 includes a solenoid 232extending from an aperture 234 formed in the recess base segment 226 ofthe bottom wall 206. Each of the solenoids 232 is structured in the samemanner as those of the chord and/or note forming aid 100. As such, theyinclude a first end and a second end. The first end includes the coil inwhich the armature is positioned, and the second end includes theextended portion of the armature. A string capture cap 238 is secured tothe extended end of the armature. The string capture cap 238 is shapedand dimensioned to engage the strings of the guitar when the solenoid232 is actuated.

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, 48 multi-position stringengaging assemblies 230 are provided. The multi-position string engagingassemblies are positioned for engagement with each of the six strings ofthe guitar at eight different fret locations. As such, themulti-position string engaging assemblies are arranged in the eight rowsof six solenoids extending lateral across the bottom wall 206, inparticular, the recess base segment.

Control of the solenoids 232 of the multi-position string engagingassemblies 230 is achieved through the provision of an electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 240 electrically linked to the controlelectronics of the forming aid 100 which provides the extension device200 with operating instructions for the controlled actuation of themulti-position string engaging assemblies 230. As such, the extensiondevice 200 only needs the microprocessor circuit board 240 andbattery(ies) 246. A door 253 for accessing the microprocessor circuitboard 240 and the battery(ies) is also provided.

In addition, the top wall 204 of the extension device 200 is providedwith actuation interface mechanisms in the form of six bidirectionalkeypads 252 a-f. Each bidirectional key 252 a-f may be switch in eitherdirection offering 12 selections. While keypads are provided with theextension device 200, it is appreciated the extension device may beformed without such keypads and the operation of the extension devicewould be controlled by actuation of the forming aid 100. The front wall210 of the extension device 200 is provided with door 253 allowingaccess for replacement of the rechargeable battery.

The underside of the extension device 200 is similar to the chord and/ornote forming aid 100 and is maintained above the strings using either ofthe embodiments described above, with the exception that the extensiondevice 200 has eight rows of multi-position string engaging assemblies230.

As mentioned above, the present chord and/or note assist assembly 10provides a computerized device for both beginner and existing guitarplayers. For beginner guitar players of all ages, it builds confidenceand helps avoid quitting. It allows beginners to play complete songswithin the first week. Existing guitar players and composers can makeand play chords that are impossible to play without the chord and/ornote assist assembly 10.

The beginner guitar players have two primary challenges: (1) overcominghurt left-hand fingers from pressing the strings and (2) remembering theplacement of the left-hand fingers to make the notes and chords. Overtime and with practice and patience, players develop calluses on theirfingers which stops the hurt. With practice, players will remember theplacement of their fingers for the chords and notes. But many beginnerswant earlier results. This causes frustration and that causes close toninety percent of them quit.

The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 easily attaches to an acousticor electric guitar and enables a beginner guitar player to easilyproduce guitar chords or notes by pressing one button and strumming thestrings without hurt fingers. It is not designed to replace practice orpatience, but to help build confidence for the beginner so that theywill not quit—much like training wheels on a bicycle.

All guitar notes and many chords are pre-programmed in the chord and/ornote assist assembly 10. Plus, the user will be able to easily add otherchords including chords that they invent plus chords that are impossibleto play without the chord and/or note assist assembly 10 such as chordsneeding five or six fingers.

The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 allows users to choose specificchords and/or notes and place them in correct order in memory forspecific songs. Then the player only needs to strum the first chosenchord or note, and the second chosen chord or note will be in place forthe next strum. Thus, a song with chords and/or notes can be played inits entirety by a beginner.

All guitar necks are similar in that the spacing of the frets is exactlythe same. Technically, guitar frets are spaced by ratios of the twelfthroot of two. This means that the length of the vibrating portion of thestring on a fret relative to the next fret will also have the ratio. Thestring vibrates twice as fast when you half its length. This is anoctave higher. Thus, in half the space of the first 12 frets you need tohave 12 more frets.

However, the space between the individual strings of guitars variesslightly. At the first fret of a guitar the first and sixth strings areabout one and one-half inches apart. This varies by an eighth of an inchdepending on the manufacturer and the style of guitar.

The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 will fit any guitar because onthe end of the solenoids that press down on the strings are capture capsthat are wide enough to fit all guitars and thus capture and press anystring.

The chord and/or note forming aid 100 and extension device 200 includesa number of ‘Solenoid Six Packs’ 300 (referred to as 300 a and 300 bwith reference to the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 3 to 5 ) that areeasily replaceable by the user. The solenoids are grouped into‘six-packs’ so that if a solenoid becomes inoperative the six-pack canbe easily removed and a new six-pack put in its place. The chord and/ornote forming aid 100 uses four ‘Solenoid Six Packs’ and the extensiondevice uses eight. As shown with reference to FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C,each of the solenoid six packs 300 includes a housing 302 in which six(6) multi-position string engaging assemblies 130, 230 are positioned.The capture caps 138, 238 of the multi-position string engagingassemblies 130, 230 extend from a top end 304 of the housing 302, whilethe bottom 306 of the housing 302 is provided with contacts 310 forconnecting the multi-position string engaging assemblies 30 with thecontrol electronics.

In summary, the chord and/or note forming aid 100 and extension device200 offer the following unique abilities:

-   -   The keypads can be programmed to play notes and chords or capo.    -   Press one button to make any chord, note or capo.    -   Program the chords and/or notes for an entire song then all that        is needed is to strum at the proper time to play the song.    -   Make chords that humans can not physically make by pressing down        on four or five or six strings in one chord.    -   Upload to and download from the chord and/or note assist        assembly 10 website users' library of programmed chords for        whole songs as well as newly discovered and invented chords.

The chord and/or note assist assembly 10 is unlike any device designedto make guitar playing easier that has come before it. It is alsodesigned to work with both beginners needing ‘training wheels’ andexperienced players inventing new chords. The chord and/or note assistassembly 10 allows users to make all known chords and notes plus allowplayers to invent their own new chords.

In accordance with an alternate embodiment, and with reference to FIGS.19 and 20 , the chord and/or note assist assembly disclosed above withreference to FIGS. 1 to 18 is modified with respect to the actuationinterface mechanism by replacing the bidirectional keypad(s) with keysas the interface mechanism for controlling actuation of the chord and/ornote forming aid 400 and an extension device 500. In addition, thenumber of keys is increased and they are easy to use. As will beappreciated based upon the following disclosure, there are ten ‘Fingerkeys’ (from six) that are larger (preferably, ½ inch wide and 1 inchlong) and at the edge of the housing for easier use. The number and sizeof control keys is also increased for selecting groups of chords andnotes from four to eight with preferred dimensions of ¼ inch wide and ½inch long.

As disclosed with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 , the chord and/or noteassist assembly includes a chord and/or note forming aid 400 and anextension device 500 for playing fretted instruments. With the exceptionof the modified keys, the chord and/or note forming aid 400 and anextension device 500 are structurally the same as those disclosed abovewith reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 .

The chord and/or note forming aid 400 includes a keypad box housing 402shaped and dimensioned for positioning over the frets of a guitar in amanner allowing a user to generate chords with only one finger of aperson playing the guitar. The keypad box housing 402 includes a topwall 404, a bottom wall 406, a front wall 410 extending between the topwall 404 and the bottom wall 406, a rear wall 408 extending between thetop wall 404 and the bottom wall 406, and lateral side walls 412, 414extending between the top wall 404 and the bottom wall 406. The top wall404, front wall 410, rear wall 408, and lateral side walls 412, 414 aregenerally flat. The bottom wall 406 is shaped to fit above the neck ofthe guitar in the area of the frets and includes a longitudinallyextending, recessed section 416 that extends from the front wall 410 tothe rear wall 408 and wraps about the neck of the guitar. The bottomwall 406 is as described above with reference to the embodimentsdisclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 . The keypad box housing 402is held in position relative to the neck of the guitar through theprovision of a strap harness as described above with reference to theembodiments disclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 .

As with the embodiment described above with reference to the embodimentsdisclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 , the working components ofthe present chord and/or note forming aid 400 are housed within thekeypad box housing 402 for operation in the manner described herein.Control of the solenoids of the multi-position string engagingassemblies is achieved through the provision of a control system definedby an electronic microprocessor circuit board 440 electrically linked toa solid-state memory 442 (that may be integrated with the circuit boardor electrically linked thereto), and ultimately powered by a battery444. The electronic microprocessor circuit board 440 is electricallylinked to the solenoids to control extension and retraction of thearmatures in a predefined manner. Actuation of the solenoids is achievedusing known actuation circuitry in conjunction with keys 452 a-j on thetop wall 402 that are pressed to send signals to the electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 440 identifying chords and/or notes of asong and the electronic microprocessor circuit board 440 thereafterinstructs the required solenoids to extend and engage desired strings ofthe guitar. As mentioned above, and in accordance with otherimplementations, chords and/or notes of a song are preprogrammed intothe chord and/or note assist assembly 10 so that all that is requiredfor the player do is press a sequence of keypads 452 a-f to start a songand, thereafter, the user need only strum and the next chord/not isautomatically in place for the next strum. The top wall 404 of thekeypad box housing 402 also include four bidirectional keypads 454 a-dto select from the various groups of stock songs, chords, notes, and/orcapos. This set of bidirectional keypads 454 a-d are used to selectgroups of songs and individual songs from within that group.Additionally, chord and/or note assist assembly users will have use of awebsite that will be available for both uploading and downloadingchords, notes, capos and/or full songs.

Further to the chord and/or note forming aid 400 discussed above, analternate embodiment of an extension device 500 is disclosed withreference to FIG. 20 . The extension device 500 is designed forpositioning above the fourth through twelfth frets on the neck of theguitar and is electrically connected the primary chord and/or noteforming aid 400 via mating ports 560 provided on adjacent ends of thechord and/or note forming aid 400 (not shown, but identical to theembodiment disclosed with reference to FIG. 4 ) and the extension device500. The extension device 500 includes an extension device housing 502shaped and dimensioned for positioning over the frets of a guitar in amanner allowing a user to generate chords with only one finger of aperson playing the guitar. The extension device housing 502 includes atop wall 504, a bottom wall 506, a front wall 510 extending between thetop wall 504 and the bottom wall 506, a rear wall 508 extending betweenthe top wall 504 and the bottom wall 506, and lateral side walls 512,514 extending between the top wall 504 and the bottom wall 506. The topwall 504, front wall 510, rear wall 508, and lateral side walls 512, 514are generally flat. The bottom wall 506 is shaped to fit about the neckof the guitar in the area of the frets and includes a longitudinallyextending, recessed section 516 that extends from the front wall 510 tothe rear wall 508 and wraps about the neck of the guitar. The bottomwall 506 is as described above with reference to the embodimentsdisclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 18 . The extension devicehousing 502 is held in position relative to the neck of the guitarthrough the provision of a strap harness as described above withreference to the embodiments disclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 .The extension device housing 502 is held in position relative to theneck of the guitar through the provision of a strap harness as describedabove with reference to the embodiments disclosed with reference toFIGS. 1 to 18 .

The working components of the present extension device 500 are housedwithin the extension device housing 502 for operation in the mannerdescribed herein. Control of the solenoids of the multi-position stringengaging assemblies is achieved through the provision of an electronicmicroprocessor circuit board 540 electrically linked to the controlelectronics of the chord and/or note forming 400 which provides theextension device 500 with operating instructions for the controlledactuation of the multi-position string engaging assemblies. As such, theextension device 500 only needs the microprocessor circuit board 540 andbattery(ies) 546. A door 553 for accessing the microprocessor circuitboard 540 and the battery(ies) is also provided.

The top wall 504 of the extension device 500 is provided with eight keys552 a-h. Each bidirectional key 552 a-h may be switch in eitherdirection offering 12 selections. While keypads are provided with theextension device 500, it is appreciated the extension device may beformed without such keypads and the operation of the extension devicewould be controlled by actuation of the forming aid 500. The front wall510 of the extension device 500 is provided with door 553 allowingaccess for replacement of the rechargeable battery.

The keys described above, also includes LED screens that allowidentification of which key should be pressed. When a specific song isrequested, the electronic microprocessor circuit board and thesolid-state memory work in conjunction to send the correct key number tobe pressed as well as the next few keys in the correct order to the LEDscreens defined by the keys. This will allow the player to be preparedto press the correct keys in advance. Each key when pressed causes thecorrect solenoid(s) to move into position to make the requested note orchord. The player then strums the guitar strings to make the requestedsound. Then when the key is released, the solenoid returns to theresting position. The memory management chips making up the solid-statememory will be large enough (at least 64 gigabit) to hold all the knownguitar notes and chords as well as much more memory for storage ofsongs, newly invented chords and notes and much more.

While the preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it willbe understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by suchdisclosure, but rather, is intended to cover all modifications andalternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A chord and/or note assist assembly, comprising: a chord and/or noteforming aid including a plurality of multi-position string engagingassemblies that engage strings of a guitar in a controlled manner so asto define chords associated with playing a guitar, the chord and/or noteforming aid includes a keypad box housing, the chord and/or note formingaid further including an actuation interface mechanism in the form of aplurality of bidirectional keypads provided on the keypad box housingfor controlling the plurality of multi-position string engagingassemblies; and an electronic microprocessor circuit board electricallylinked to a solid-state memory to control the plurality ofmulti-position string engaging assemblies of the chord and/or noteforming aid. 2-7. (canceled)
 8. The chord and/or note assist assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein each of the multi-position string engagingassemblies includes a solenoid extending from an aperture formed in thekeypad box housing.
 9. The chord and/or note assist assembly accordingto claim 8, wherein each of the solenoids includes a first end and asecond end, the first end includes a coil in which an armature ispositioned and the second end includes an extended portion of thearmature.
 10. The chord and/or note assist assembly according to claim9, wherein a string capture cap is secured to the free end of theextended portion of the armature, and the string capture cap is shapedand dimensioned to engage the strings of a guitar when the solenoid isactuated.
 11. (canceled)
 12. The chord and/or note assist assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the chord and/or note forming aid includesan LED readout. 13-19. (canceled)